Tucked in nicely behind Bayern Munich in second place in the Bundesliga, above Dortmund and comfortably ahead of Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen are in the kind of form that they have not known in 20 years. It is safe to say their trip to Glasgow this week will not cause them sleepless nights.
On returning to Germany, they have a trip to winless, 16th placed, Arminia, on Sunday. Leverkusen will doubtlessly have a sense of security about this week’s fixtures; one that few would suggest is false.
Celtic could see tomorrow’s Europa League encounter far enough. Having shipped five Premiership points in a week, domestic form is the only priority, an exhausting encounter against a top German side before Sunday’s trip to Aberdeen can only multiply Ange Postecoglou’s problems.
If anything, I could make a case for Celtic resting players ahead of Pittodrie, but that’s not how European football works. We will attempt to reestablish the form we showed early in Seville two weeks ago; that two goal lead seems a long time ago.
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BSR
You’re all over the shop there bud. Hard to follow.
Anyhoo, hope your optimism is borne out. I just see a team running on empty, missing key players and struggling for results, Ange himself made the point today the players are struggling with the schedule and inability to rotate.
My expectations are low. Might be wrong. I was on Sunday when I thought we’d beat DU and the previous week when I was certain we’d hump Livi.
Just watched the full press conference on Videocelts for tomorrows game, according to the manager McGregor and Kyogo are going to join up with their national teams, this is a huge mistake for me and to the detriment of the club, no way should they be going, they arent fit to play for Celtic.
peterlatchfords
Hard to keep up with your place.
I’d rather be all over, than on a Celtic blog predicting doom and gloom every day
Your ” expectations are low. Might be wrong. I was on Sunday when I thought we’d beat DU and the previous week when I was certain we’d hump Livi. ” make your 0-3 more dubious.
Enloy the match 👍
Latchford…………….
I’d hate to walk a mile in your shoes.
The decidedly bleak road you tread seems bereft of much Celtic joy.
In fact, you’d drive anybody to drink.
Garrys manor.
https://twitter.com/GC_Archives/status/1442546668033826816/photo/1
DESSYBHOY
Steve Clark clearly stated that Callum would only play for Scotland on 9th October if he gets game time for Celtic first.
If Callum plays v Bayer and/or Aberdeen it means he is fit to play for Scotland. I have no problem with that.
VOGUEPUNTER on 29TH SEPTEMBER 2021 6:03 PM
CHANNELISLANDCELT
Good to hear from you .HH fae the vogue
————————————————————
That place still open?
DESSYBHOY
They are fit to play for Celtic, but not tomorrow.
SFTB
I have no dispute whatsoever with your data. What irks me is that we do not even try to make a decent fist of attempting to qualify. We make a habit of signing players after we have been turfed out, and I see little evidence of planning for early qualifying games. It is almost as if we don’t want to be there.
CELTIC40ME and AN TEARMANN
I have been on this blog since its inception, and followed Celtic all over two continents for 60 years. Not once have I personally assailed any poster for their disparate views and I am not going to engage in a tit for tat exchange. If you are happy with Celtic’s direction of travel in Europe, fair enough. I am not. You could learn much from SFTBs responses to posts he disagrees with. No insults, no antipathy. The way a blog should be.
Caught Packy on the car radio last Sunday afternoon expecting Celtic to be in the lead at least, but was shocked on the double with the scoreline and then Packy telling us that McCarthy and Jouranivic had been crocked. Good grief another couple of our frontliners added to the huge injury list.
Added to the big changes at Celtic now this and was resigned to a season ahead where there will be no gain without pain for us and for the unfortunate A.P.
European football is great to have Celtic competing every year but Thursday night against the Germans is a damage limitation job and the resting of some players for the trip to Aberdeen. European football was an unexpected welcome bonus this season but at this point SPFL points are more important particularly after last Sunday’s dropped points.
First time I’ve had to make a comment without getting huckled out the side door.
BSR
Thankfully…yes :O) HH
Delaney’s Dunkey you could never scroll by that name on CQN and no doubt for Gary it’s Paradise lost but new Paradise gained.
Sry to rain on anyone’s parade, but I find this idea of giving Ange team is truly dangerous to the future of celtic. Gers win league this year, get 30mill, then win 5, 6, 7 in a row. To satisfy the ego of an untried and almost certainly out of his depth individual. We are bad enough off the pitch with the despicable tory capitalists on the board, who obviously don’t support celtic. How could they with the ineptitude and carelessness they have displayed over the last few years, eg lenny in the showers etc. But Ange has been a total nightmare. His press conferences now mimic lennys, all bluster and garbage. He has no tactics and no charisma. He’s a bluffer, another Pedro and look what happened to him. how we rejoiced at his incompetence. He was great for celtic, destructive for them. Gers fans can’t believe how incredibly stupid and bad we are. In Ange they trust, for more league wins and millions in the bank. What is the problem with the St Johnson manager as a punt? Ange is a dud.
I think he’s genuine….honest.
Stivs @ 6.28 thanks for the memories if that’s Alderman road shops Garry definitely jumped about there when younger although when it was a bit more built up. If it was Alderman road it was a 2 minute walk to Garry’s house.
D :)
Stivs any photos of Kirkton Avenue that’s where both Garry and I and I believe Art of War stayed.
D :)
The injury list is horrendous. Bad luck no doubt but with contributing factors, mainly Ange’s high tempo style of play and players adapting to play same in a short period of time with many critical games early season.
We also lost our head of sports science in June to RB Leipzig and only replaced him couple weeks ago. That must play some role. Why did it take 3+ months to get someone else when the new guy was seemingly available in June anyway.
The board and our majority shareholder (who appears to be hands on given he speaks with the managers daily and allegedly got involved in transfer dealings this summer) hold the responsibility. We are a poorly run on the football operations side and not fit to compete at our full potential due to same.
I hope Ange succeeds but what a mess this board has resided over. And I don’t consider domestic trebles in a largely one horse race to be the measure of success & potential for this club.
The board (and those that hold power over it) are winging it and have been for years. All on the supporters dime and emotions.
Just watched the 11 minute snippet of Ange’s media conference.
Pretty standard stuff.
Guy’s a bit irritated by some condescending perceptions of him and called it out.
Good for him.
david66,
i tried to find kirkton ave before, tough search,
this is not to bad though, some interesting history.
scroll down for some airieal pics from the 50s
https://knightswoodcommunitycouncil.org/about/
Stivs thanks
D :)
AN TEARMANN on 29TH SEPTEMBER 2021 5:53 PM
INIQUITOUSIV on 29TH SEPTEMBER 2021 2:49 PM
Just tragic, sad, and so preventable.
What? The comparison? If so.sorry.it don’t exist?-if so how comes we have not heard you or anyone speak of the Moldovan but handy for piling into Celtic.yawn.
But carry on harming yourself with a wee bit implied hurt on Celtic.anyold excuse.
:-)
HH
I have been on this blog since its inception, and followed Celtic all over two continents for 60 years. Not once have I personally assailed any poster for their disparate views and I am not going to engage in a tit for tat exchange. If you are happy with Celtic’s direction of travel in Europe, fair enough. I am not. You could learn much from SFTBs responses to posts he disagrees with. No insults, no antipathy. The way a blog should be.
I will stick by it Inquisitouv.
I am getting more at your view.not questioning your Celtic cred at all.those 2 are opposite imo.ie being a Celt is positive.
Celtic is about hope and our betterment as a club and has been since 1888.criticism that is adding to us is a good thing.whereas the Sheriff result(congratulations to them btw) is no comparison.its another stick and is used freely.its negative.a non comparison and of course your right to post on.it gets countered thats all.
No cranky with you personally.
And of course I am not happy were we are and I am patient and hope thing change for better.we are were we are.thursday waits for no one.
HH
Villareal should be two up
Stivs – Those photos are great, I can recognise Kirkton ave, the Semi detached where Garry stayed unfortunately Tontine hadn’t build the Flats where I stayed, but very interesting.
Thanks again
D :)
BANKIEBHOY1 on 29TH SEPTEMBER 2021 7:26 PM
I think he’s genuine….honest.
I think so too BB.
HH
Thanks to Hot smoked and Leftclicktic for the reposting of last night’s message for Garry.👍☘
Manure doing a Celtic. 65 – 70% possession but weak as feck up top.
D :)
Only 55% I stand corrected
D :)
I love it when anyone on here has to confirm their credentials
I know it’s childish 🤷🏻♂️
AN TEARMANN @ 8:30
“And of course I am not happy were we are and I am patient and hope thing change for better.we are were we are.”
Unfortunately, mate, the malign cabal consisting of absent landlord Desmond, mendacious Lawwell, a non-CEO Nicholson iterating nonsensical ‘evolutionary initiatives’, a condescending pretentious nodding dog Bankier, and various other non entities, are totally reliant on our patience, hope, faithful purchase of season books and merchandise, and do nothing other than to keep us stationary. Ambition, expanding the business, modernizing all aspects of the club, including recruitment, youth development, data analytics, sports science, CelticTV, ticketing systems, food service, etc, are all alien to them.
A poet once wrote that “Hope springs eternal.” He was correct, as evidenced by concentration camp survivors. Unfortunately, mate, it does absolutely nothing to progress Celtic as a football club. Some hard questions directed at the Board at the next AGM may bear more fruit, as the Board is manifestly a drag on the Club, being more focused on saving our main rivals from any forensic examination than separating us from them. ‘It’s not in the best interests of the Company,” you see.
I am not without hope, but I have definitely lost patience. This Board have zero ambitions for Celtic other than ‘ sustainability,’ linguistic code for the status quo.
Why not Benfica Celtic?
*ignores Porto 5-1 at home last night*
you never know
I’d be happy with no more injuries tomorrow
Peterlatchfordsbelly I asked you a few days ago regarding your father and where he stayed in Dalmarnock I too came from there Mordaunt Street about the same age as your father.
What a finish at Old Trafford. Ronaldo grabs winner 95 minutes. Amazing scenes.
Villareal missed several great chances and deserved at least a draw.
Apart from the obvious pleasure gleaned from a victory,I would like to win tomorrow so that the many new Bhoys ( including Ange) get the chance to experience the almost forgotten atmosphere of a big European game at Celtic Park.
`night all.
PS I also think that, if we were to win tomorrow night, it could lead to a long succession of victories in the League.
Hot Smoked
I sincerely hope that is the case Jim. Are you on the Emerald Express tomorrow?
HH
I realised I would take a lot of flak for my Double L comment about our previous manager and thought long and hard about it, but the astonishing news that he was given a pay off even though he got the tin tack made me rethink my view.
On May 4 2011 we headed up tae Culloden to play our final game in hand, we were in good form having taken 7 points off the deid team, they were not sevco yet, and were only 1 point behind them.
They had won the last two titles but at what price, they were going belly up and everyone and their granny knew it, we win that night we were 2 points ahead and a superior GD with only 3 games left, which we would win, 2 at the templar zone and swinecastle respectively and one at Parkheid scoring 9 goals, conceding zero.
Unfortunately a lackluster second half saw us perform no better than Bonnie Prince Charlie’s army almost 266 years before almost to the date and so give nasesurname a treble of titles, we would win the SC though but who really cared.
It was a wee while before the realisation that we might have deliberately capitulated to allow them access tae the Big Cup money. Unfortunately for them they were out of both European competitions before the end of August.
Naesurname was gone and his successor, who they proudly would unveil a banner stating his loyalty would never be forgotten, was financially taking them tae the cleaners, he was also one of the worst managers the country has ever seen.
They would also exit the LC early doors tae lowly falkirk but fortunately their League form wisnae too bad including beating us 4-2 at hades while he shed the routine phony tears.
However it all came unstuck on October 15 when in the early kick off game Anthony Stokes and the much maligned James Forrest saved their managers career by hauling back a 3 goal deficit to gives us a point.
Later that afternoon a last minute buddies goal meant deidco would also drop 2 points followed up before the year was out by the dropping of 9 points all away at Rugby Park, New Love Street and Parkheid. The rest as we know is history as Scottish fitba saw a plethora of cups being shared by the fringe sides, the fun was back in the game.
Like most if not all on here I was gutted that we failed tae clinch the ten, now several months later I’m not just upset or disappointed but angry in fact seethin.
Also, the latest comments that it may take 2 tae 3 seasons before we bounce back are just pure unadulterated scheitd.
As a club we are light years ahead of all others in the country including the 9 year and 7 month old one.
There is no way we should have been humiliated like we did last season and should be on our way tae 11IAR right now.
I have said on more than one occasion last season was all about saving them and I firmly believe that the owners of the other teams as well as the scottish freemason association including their mitb were in on it, the key word here is the free one.
That mob are absolutely rotten as was proven in Europe and the domestic cups, and so the word was out to save them by allowing them a free run for the title, it was all about UEFA and the benefits that entailed, ironically just as before they are single fish.
Where we really fell down was in the cups but in winning any of them we might have let the genie out of the bottle.
I know I have been disparaged in the past over my claims that the fix, not a conspiracy I hasten tae add, was in but we have a history of this, as noted above with the same manager, CEO and largest shareholder.
Going further back the wee mhan fae Croy, our wee saviour, refused tae bow tae public pressure by throwing money at saving our honest nine preferring tae build a new stadium, that’s a typical business move, records are not as important as progress, he has been proven right though.
Now it’s easy tae say why we didnae let them win the title between naesurnames last one and slippy’s first, the obvious answer is they were boggin, in fact they still are but if we had won the 10 it was all over for them, they would have went breest up.
Now they are empowered and the whole country is paying for it, riots at George Square, increased “walks” which although the lol do not have the membership but the hanger’s on are out in full force, we truly effed up here. That genie is definitely out of that bottle and there’s no way of putting it back in again.
If we had let them sink other clubs as we are now witnessing would have picked up the slack and mibbees just mibbees we as a country would have once again become a power in Europe.
For me it was painful watching our previous manager coming back after the Covid break overweight, slouching on seats, not conversing with his coaching staff who looked totally scunnered, in fact the only time he was animated was after we won the penalty shoot out against the calvinists and that was for a trophy that belonged to the preceding season.
He wanted the jolly in Dubai which wasn’t deserved, took along a player who was seriously injured only for him to catch Covid which pretty much ended our season with a whole slew of players being quarantined, and sat round the pool guzzling pints.
In the past I have stuck up for DD as he underwrote shares and helped bankroll the club, big Peter tae as he kept us on the straight and narrow and was known in the football world as no pushover as he drove a hard bargain and wee Lenny for the abuse he took and also stuck up for the club on and off the field.
Yet the manager who returned after the fraud bailed oot was not the same one. Did he make a deal with the devil, we’ll never know, however, according to our recent audit it seems he was healthily paid even though he got the sugar lump.
Mibbees just mibbees that’s why Eddie Howe mysteriously decided not tae come citing personal reasons, that might have been his reputation being in tatters in no winning a one horse race in a mickey mouse league, could also be the reason the Dominator left tae for those mysterious personal reasons.
I have followed the bhoys for around 70 years now, seen the good, the bad and the ugly, as for the latter just have a wee look at the Bear’s comments on how bad the club was before the return of the Latter Day Christ, even the wee mhan was thinking of jacking it in and going back tae Blantyre Celtic, that’s how bad it was.
Yet the support, although they were a bit sparse by this time, was still there it has tae be said.
Players, coaches, managers and board members come and go but as the late great Tommy Burns once said “they’re there and they’re always there, and God bless every one of them.”
So where do we go from here, possibly like the times Yogi was talking about I reckon we will come out with a feasible performance tomorrow night, as for up at the pen on Sunday, I wouldn’t be surprised if the sheep break their duck with our former captain being awarded MOTM, either that or we gub them and he is given a card the colour of his current strip, who knows with madhun in the middle.
Finally, I make no apology for the Double L quote, its how I feel right now, I won’t use it again but I’ll still be thinking of Celtic when I first wake in the morning until I retire for the evening.